adventures Archive

After School Adventures: Adventures in Wonderland #4 – A Message for the Duchess The fourth part of the adventure series for the youngest of players (I’d recommend the series for ages 4 – 6, 8 at most) clocks in at 14 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial/SRD, ½ page advertisement, leaving us with 11.5 pages of content, so let’s take a look! This adventure is designed for 2nd level characters and was moved up in my review-queue at the request of my patreons as a prioritized review. … .. . The White Rabbit is up to his usual shenanigans – while being late, he panics and inadvertently locks the Duchess out of her own castle! It’ll be […]

Prepared! One-Shot Adventures for 5th Edition (5e) This compilation of side-trek modules for 5th edition clocks in at 26 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial/ToC, 1 page SRD, 1 page back cover, leaving us with 22 pages of content, so let’s take a look! Wait, before we go any further, one important note: You need the Tome of Beasts, Kobold Press’ massive and gorgeous hardcover of 5e-monsters to properly use this supplement, as statblocks have not been reproduced herein. Structure-wise, these encounters/sidetreks are pretty easy to grasp: We get a background and then the different Adventure Elements that make up each sidetrek – usually, but not always, 2 – 4. These can basically be all combined […]

Horror Adventures This massive hardcover clocks in at 255 pages – if you take away editorial, index, etc., you still arrive at 249 pages of content, which is A LOT. I was gifted a copy of this book for the purpose of a fair and unbiased review. My review is based on the hardcover of this book. Now, the first thing I’d ask you to do, is to read the series of Miscellaneous Musings I wrote on horror gaming in general. Or least the last one. Why? Because it is my firm conviction that one has to establish realistic expectations in order to review a book such as this. Here is Part I. Here is Part II. […]

Modern Adventures This massive book clocks in at 234 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page ToC, 1 page SRD, leaving us with a massive 231 pages of content, so let’s take a look! This massive tome was gifted to me by one of my patreons for the purpose of a prioritized review. It has thus been moved up in my review-queue. The first thing you’ll undoubtedly notice is that the above does not feature an editorial section – there is a reason for that, namely that each page has a sidebar on the left or right, which is used to provide commentary and elaborate on the content – the editorial can be found in such a side-bar […]

Steampunk Adventures (5e) This pdf clocks in at 14 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial/ToC, 1 page SRD, 1 page inspirational reading list, leaving us with 10 pages of content, so let’s take a look! We begin this pdf with a new background, the fortune teller, who gains proficiency in Insight and Deception as well as one type of fortune teller’s tools. They also get one language of choice and the aforementioned tools, set of a traveler’s clothes, a costume and a 15 gp-pouch. The fortune teller can decide or roll a specialty from a list of 10 – face reading, astrology – a charlatan’s paradise. Fortune tellers can earn money almost everywhere and those that have […]

Pirate Adventures (5e) This pdf clocks in at 9 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial/ToC, 1 page SRD, leaving us with 6 pages of content, so let’s take a look! One issue you’ll immediately bump into when playing a pirate campaign in 5e would be that the official backgrounds don’t have that much variety to offer; you basically choose sailor. Yeah, that gets a bit old pretty quick when the whole group takes it, right? Well, this little pdf actually features 4 variants of the background: Privateers retain the basic framework, but since they’re sailing for a nation, their feature provides friendly shores, where nobles and commoners alike are more likely to accommodate your requests. The ship’s […]

Adventures in the Borderland Provinces This massive hardcover clocks in at 166 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial, 1 page ToC/product overview, 2 pages of SRD, 1 page of back cover, leaving us with 160 pages of pure adventure…so let’s take a look! This book was moved up in my review-queue due to me receiving a print copy for the purpose of a fair and critical review. “Welcome to the Borderlands. You’ll probably die here.” – Ari Marmell’s first sentence of the introduction of this book is pretty much amazing…and it makes clear from the get-go that this book provides old-school modules, in the slogan of FGG: “Modules worth winning!” – i.e. challenging, hard modules that […]

After School Adventures: Adventures in Wonderland #3 – The Dodo’s Race (5e) The 5e-version of the third installment of the kid-friendly adventure-sequence intended to be played in a single session after school clocks in at 9 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial/SRD, 1 page advertisement, leaving us with 6 pages of content, so let’s take a look! After #2, the players should have reached 2nd level. This being an adventure-review, the following contains SPOILERS. Potential players should jump to the conclusion. … .. . All right! Having passed the door, the PCs meet the dodo, whose speech patterns in the read-aloud text contain numerous malapropisms, i.e. wrong uses of “big” words – which can make for a […]

After School Adventures: Adventures in Wonderland #3 – The Dodo’s Race The third installment of the kid-friendly adventure-sequence intended to be played in a single session after school clocks in at 9 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial/SRD, 1 page advertisement, leaving us with 6 pages of content, so let’s take a look! After #2, the players should have reached 2nd level. This being an adventure-review, the following contains SPOILERS. Potential players should jump to the conclusion. … .. . All right! Having passed the door, the PCs meet the dodo, whose speech patterns in the read-aloud text contain numerous malapropisms, i.e. wrong uses of “big” words – which can make for a fun mini-game, if the […]

Childhood Adventures This massive rule-book clocks in at 86 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page inside of front cover, 1 page editorial, 1 page introduction/ToC, 4 pages of SRD, leaving us with 78 pages of content, so let’s take a look! Ahh, childhood. Most people look back with nostalgia-tinted glasses at theirs. I’m not one of these persons, due to a variety of reasons. So this is about playing kids – and as such, there is a lot to consider. But why play kids? Well, for kids playing kids, there are two angles, both valid: One, kids want to play adults. I was that guy. Two: Kids playing other kids for easier identification. While I was not one […]

After School Adventures: Adventures in Wonderland #2 – Down the Rabbit Hole (5e) The second module in the Wonderland-inspired series of mini-modules for the youngest gamers clocks in at 9 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial/SRD, 1 page advertisement, leaving us with 6 pages of content, so let’s take a look! This being an adventure-module, the following contains SPOILERS. Potential players should jump to the conclusion. Young ‘uns – sneaking a peek here can spoil your fun – don’t do it, okay? … .. . All right, so the PCs have chased the white rabbit through the forest in #1 and this module begins as the players fall down the rabbit hole…wait, no, they are not…they basically […]

After School Adventures: Adventures in Wonderland #2 – Down the Rabbit Hole The second module in the Wonderland-inspired series of mini-modules for the youngest gamers clocks in at 9 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial/SRD, 1 page advertisement, leaving us with 6 pages of content, so let’s take a look! This being an adventure-module, the following contains SPOILERS. Potential players should jump to the conclusion. Young ‘uns – sneaking a peek here can spoil your fun – don’t do it, okay? … .. . All right, so the PCs have chased the white rabbit through the forest in #1 and this module begins as the players fall down the rabbit hole…wait, no, they are not…they basically are […]

After School Adventures – Adventures in Wonderland #1: Chasing the White Rabbit (5e) The first After School Adventure with an Alice in Wonderland-theme clocks in at 15 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial/SRD, leaving us with 13 pages of content, so let’s take a look! This review was moved up in my review-queue as a prioritized review at the request of my patreons. First of all – this is the first of a series of 5 adventures that bring new players up to level 5; as written, it is intended to get PCs halfway to level 2. However, since the module as such is basically defined by its nature as a kind of minigame, this book […]

After School Adventures: Adventures in Wonderland #1 – Chasing the White Rabbit The first After School Adventure with an Alice in Wonderland-theme clocks in at 15 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial/SRD, leaving us with 13 pages of content, so let’s take a look! This review was moved up in my review-queue as a prioritized review at the request of my patreons. First of all – this is the first of a series of 5 adventures that bring new players up to level 5; as written, it is intended to get PCs halfway to level 2. However, since the module as such is basically defined by its nature as a kind of minigame, this book can […]

Paranormal Adventures This massive book clocks in at 70 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page inside of front cover, 1 page editorial, 5 pages of SRD, 1 page back cover, leaving us with 61 pages of content, so let’s take a look! Okay, after a brief introduction to the matter at hand (and an artwork that obviously details Sam and Dean Winchester from Supernatural as medieval iterations of themselves, setting a kind-of theme for the book), we dive into the first class, which would be the shapeshifter. The shapeshifter base class receives d10, 4+Int skills per level, proficiency with club, dagger, darts, quarterstaff, shortspear, sling and spear as well as all natural attacks and light armor. They gain […]

Microsized Adventures This supplement clocks in at 30 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial, 1 page SRD, leaving us with 27 pages of content, so let’s dive in! Microsized characters have been a staple in the movies of my childhood, when I learned that perspective is a crucial factor in determining what is creepy or dangerous and what isn’t. And indeed, in earlier editions of the game, there have been quite a few modules that utilized this concept to some gain – one of which would be Ravenloft’s “The Created” – a great module in the hands of a capable GM and utterly disturbing. Now if you endeavor to run such a scenario in your own […]

AAW Blog Presents: Armory of Adventures This pdf clocks in at 30 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial, 1 page ToC,1 page back cover, 1 3/4 pages of SRD, leaving us with 24 1/4 pages of content, so let’s take a look! … No, you haven’t misread. This many pages for a buck. And yes, the content herein premiered on the AAWBlog before, but ultimately, I’m a dinosaur when it comes to devices – I ban them at my game since I have had the experience of them being constant sources of distraction. So what exactly do we get? As an example analysis, take the ashenbone axe: A lavishly-illustrated (btw., like most items herein!) axe that emits […]

Mayhem Beneath Demon Mountain This module is 16 pages long, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial, 2/3 of a page SRD, leaving us with 13 1/3 pages of content, so let’s take a look, shall we? This being an adventure-review, the following contains SPOILERS. Potential players will wish to jump to the conclusion. All right, still here? The PCs are hired by the wine merchant Korsav for a risky gambit – take his caravan to Demon Mountain’s foot and spoil the wine of one of his competitors, Ulfer, who happens to be one of the decadent children of the legendary Master of the Demon Mountain. Upon their arrival at Demon Mountain, the PCs have to surrender their […]

The Buried Palace This module is 24 pages long, 1 page front cover, 2 pages editorial, 1 page SRD, leaving us with 20 pages of content, so let’s take a look, shall we? This being an adventure-review, the following contains SPOILERS. Potential players should jump to the conclusion. All right, still here? Imperial Marshall Karridoc Castellan of Valera, one of the most powerful men in the 7 cities, requests the presence of the PCs – for an uncommon task: Below a bathing house, recent tremors have unearthed an old ruin of the Valeran empire – one the PCs are to scour for works of art and similar valuable memorabilia of interest to Valera. The module doesn’t waste much […]

There was a point in the history of the RPG industry where games were strictly handled with a pencil, a handful of dice, and some paper. Fortunately this industry is nothing if not fluid and flexible, adapting and growing with the technologies of the times. I remember when PDFs became a common thing as an RPG standard allowing smaller publishers to enter the market. For me that was truly the first step toward the evolution of role-playing games. Following the curve of today’s gamers, and embracing the technologies at our fingertips, are Jonathan G. Nelson and Todd Gamble. Two friends who saw a void in the market, and decided to pool their talent and experience to open a subscription […]